This Uposatha Day, please let me share with you all 'a love-song the Buddha did not rebuke'. It is in DN21. Sakkapanha sutta (translation by Maurice Walshe). My dear friend Dr.Han Tun gave this story to me.

************ The Love-song the Buddha did not rebuke [Presented by Dr.Han Tun, MD. @ SariputtaDhamma/JTN/Mult]

Thus have I heard. Once the Lord staying in Magadha, to the east of Raajagaha,by a Brahmin village called Ambasa.n.daa, to the north of the village on MountVediya, in the Indasaala Cave. And at that time Sakka, lord of the gods, felt astrong desire to see the Lord. And Sakka thought 'Where is the Blessed Lord, thefully-enlightened Buddha, now staying?' Then, perceiving where the Lord was,Sakka said to the Thirty-Three Gods: 'Gentlemen, the Blessed Lord is staying inMagadha...in the Indasaala Cave. How would it be if we were to go and visit theLord?' 'Very good, lord, and may good fortune go with you', replied theThirty-Three Gods.

Then Sakka said to Pa~ncasikha of the gandhabbas: 'The Blessed Lord is stayingin Magadha…in the Indasaala Cave. I propose to go to visit him.' 'Very good,Lord', said Pancasikha and, taking his yellow beluva-wood lute, he followed inattendance on Sakka.

And, just as swiftly as a strong man might stretch forth his flexed arm, or flexit again, Sakka, surrounded by the Thirty-Three Gods and attended byPancasikha, vanished from the heaven of the Thirty-Three and appeared inMagadha…on Mount Vediya. Then a tremendous light shone over Mount Vediya,illuminating the village of Ambasandaa, so great was the power of the gods, sothat in the surrounding villages they were saying: 'Look, Mount Vediya is onfire today, it's burning, it's in flames! What is the matter, that Mount Vediyaand Ambasandaa are lit up like this? and they were so terrified that theirhair stood on end.

Then Sakka said: 'Pancasikha, it is hard for the likes of us to get near theTathaagatas when they are enjoying the bliss of meditation, and thereforewithdrawn. But if you, Pancasikha, were first to attract the ear of the BlessedLord, then we might afterwards be able to approach and see the Blessed Lord, thefully-enlightened Buddha.' 'Very good, Lord', said Pancasikha and, taking hisyellow beluva-wood lute, he approached the Indasaala Cave. Thinking: 'As far asthis is neither too far nor too near to the Lord, and he will hear my voice', hestood to one side.

---------------Then, to the strains of his lute, he sang these verses extolling the Buddha, theDhamma, the Arahants, and love:

(i) "Lady, your father Timbaruu greet,Oh Sunshine fair, I give him honour due,By whom was sired a maid as fair as youWho are the cause of all my heart's delight.

(ii) "Delightful as the breeze to one who sweats,Or as a cooling draught to one who thirsts,Your radiant beauty is to me as dearAs the Dhamma is to Arahants.

(xii) "Just as that Sage would be rejoiced, if heWere to gain supreme enlightenment,So I'd rejoice to be made one with you.

(xiii) "If Sakka, Lord of Three-and-Thirty GodsWere perchance to grant a boon to me,It's you I'd crave, my love for you's so strong.

(xiv) "Your father, maid so wise, I venerateLike a saal-tree fairly blossoming,For his offspring's sake, so sweet and fair."

[Han: It seems inappropriate to sing a song that contains words like, "maidenwith fair thighs" (vaamuuru), in front of the Buddha. But the Buddha did notrebuke it. Please see below.]

When he heard this, the Lord said: "Pancasikha, the sound of your stringsblends so well with your song, and your song with the strings, that neitherprevails excessively over the other. When did you compose these verses on theBuddha, the Dhamma, the Arahants, and Love?"

"Lord, it was when the Blessed Lord was staying on the bank of the RiverNeranjaraa, under the goat-herd's banyan tree prior to his enlightenment. Atthat time I fell in love with the lady Bhaddaa, bright as the sun, the daughterof King Timbaruu of the gandhabbas. But the lady was in love with somebody else.It was Sikhaddi, the son of Maatali the charioteer, whom she favoured. And whenI found that I could not win the lady by any manner of means, I took my yellowbeluva-wood lute and went to the home of King Timbaruu of the gandhabbas, andthere I sang these verses: [Verses as above]

I recently ran across this sutta and am curious why the Buddha did not rebuke Pancasikha. I thought perhaps because the Buddha already knows Pancasikha is the messenger boy sent to get the Buddha's attention, and so simply says "nice job" in order not to insult someone simply doing what he was told (and so he can get on with the more important matter of teaching the god Sakka, with whom his discussion takes up the remainder of the sutta).

The Buddha seems to have skillfully avoided criticizing the content, given that the intent seems to have been praise, even if the execution left something to be desired. (Hmm...)

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

Jeffrey wrote:I recently ran across this sutta and am curious why the Buddha did not rebuke Pancasikha. I thought perhaps because the Buddha already knows Pancasikha is the messenger boy sent to get the Buddha's attention, and so simply says "nice job" in order not to insult someone simply doing what he was told (and so he can get on with the more important matter of teaching the god Sakka, with whom his discussion takes up the remainder of the sutta).

Dear Jeffrey,

You might be right. As for me, I never doubt anything about Buddhas...I absolutely/ultimately respect/love Buddhas more than anyone in this world....and next next world...forever A song/picture for you:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuD2PMhni_I

Bhikkhus, if you develop and make much this one thing, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction. What is it? It is recollecting the Enlightened One. If this single thing is recollected and made much, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction.Anguttara-Nikaya: Ekanipata: Ekadhammapali: PañhamavaggaVSMVMMWBBTBHTWTBTMy Page

BubbaBuddhist wrote:I'm going to remember this song next time I go a-courtin' and set it to music to play on my piano.

BB

Better use a vina, as the pali text says, instead of a piano. But what is a vina? In modern India the vina is an instrument (or rather a class of instruments) with strings along a neck (with or without frets), so it is understandable that some translators use the word "lute". It seems, however, that in earlier time the vina might just as well have been a harp, similar to the Burmese harp.

BubbaBuddhist wrote:I'm going to remember this song next time I go a-courtin' and set it to music to play on my piano.

BB

Better use a vina, as the pali text says, instead of a piano. But what is a vina? In modern India the vina is an instrument (or rather a class of instruments) with strings along a neck (with or without frets), so it is understandable that some translators use the word "lute". It seems, however, that in earlier time the vina might just as well have been a harp, similar to the Burmese harp.

So the next time I go a-courtin' I will set this song to music to sing and play on my harp.

*********Dear Kare,I really like the picture of Indian_Musical_Instruments And I must tell you that you look pretty much like one of my favorite SAS pilots 'Captain Knudsen'...he's a big/tall guy with white hair/pale blue eyes...he's so friendly/nice...I love Scandinavian people.